Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-02-04
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
rs THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION A
CHEAT?" HIS SUBJECT.

Us THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION A
cHEATw HIS SUBJECT.
A De1usion that Numbers zoo, 600, 900
Souls as Dupes, that Has Conquered
the Heather, that Has Reformed the
Drunkard, that is JOY ON Earth.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 30.-At the Tabernacle
this morning the Rev. T. De Witt Talmage,
D. D., baptized by immersion a number of
persons who preferred that mode, as on the
Sunday previous he had baptized by sprin-
king thosa who so desired. Professor Browne,
the organist, rendered the Sonata in G minor
by Rhelnberger. The opening humn, sung by
the whole congregation, was that beginning:
O happy day that fixed my choice
On thee, my Saviour and my God.
After reading another list Of those who
during the week had united with the church,
Dr. Talmage discussed the subject, as the
Christian Religion Cheat?" His text was:
Gle made his arrows bright he consulted
with images lie looked IN TINS liver" EzekIes
xxi, q. The preacher said:
Two modes of divination by which the king
Of Babylon proposed to find out the will of
God: He took bundle of arrows, put them
together, mixed them up, then pulled forth
one and by the inscription on 1t decided what
city he should first assault. Then an animal
was slain and by the lighter or darker color
of the liver the brighter or darker prospect
Of success was inferred. That is the meaning
of the text: "He made his arrows bright, he
consulted with images, he looked In the
liver"
Stupid delusion! And yet all the ages have
been filled with decisions. 1t seems as if the
world loves to be hoodwinked; the delusion of
the text is only a specimen of a vast number
of deceits practiced upon the human race. In
the latter part Of the last century Johanna
Southcote came forth pretending to have
divine power, made prophecies, had chapels
built in her honor and 100000 disciples came
forth to follow her. About five years before
the birth of Christ Apolonius was born. and
he came forth. and after five years being
speeches., according to the tradition, he
healed the sick and raised the dead. and
preached virtue. and according to the myth.
having deceased. was brought to res,1rrec
tion,
The Delphic Oracle deceived vast multi
tudes of people; the Pythoness, seated in the
temple of Appolo, uttering crazy jargen
from which the people guessed or misguessed
their individual or national fortunes or mis-
fortunes. The utterances were of such
nature that YOU could read them any way
you wanted to read them. A general going
forth to battle, consulted the Delphic Oracle,
and he wanted to find out whether he was
going to be safe in the battle or killed in the
battle, and the answer came forth from the
Delphic Oracle in such words that. if you put
the comma before the word snever," it
means one thing, and if you put the comma
after the word t'never," it means another
thing lust opposite. The message from the
Delphic Oracle to the general was: "Go
forth, return never in battle shalt thou
perish" If he was killed, that was according
to the Delphic Oracle; if he came home safely,
that was according to the Delphic Oracle So
the ancient auguries deceived the people. The
priests of those auguries, by the flight. of
birds, or by the information of thunder, or by
the inside appearance of slain animals told
the fortunes OF misfortunes of individuals or
nations. The sibyls deceived the people, The
sibyls were supposed to be inspired women
who lived in caves and who wrote
the sibyl line books, afterward pur-
chased by Taruuin the Proud So
late as the year 1929 man arose in New
York, pretending to be divine being, and
playing his part so well that wealthy mer-
chants became his disciples and threw their
fortunes into his discipleship. And so in all
ages there have been necromancies, incanta-
lions, witchcrafts, sorceries, magical arts,
entertainments, divinations and decisions. The
one of the text was only specimen of that
which has been transpiring in all ages of the
world. None of these decisions accom-
plished any good. They deceived, they
pauperized the people, they were as cruel as
they were absurd. They opened no hospi-
tails, they healed no wounds, they wiped
away no tears, they emancipated no serf-
dom.
But there are those who say that all these
decisions combined are as nothing compared
with the delusion now abroad in the world,
the delusion of the Christian religion. Thatde-
fusion has to-day two hundred million dupes.
1t proposes to encircle the earth with its
girdle. That which has been called a delu-
sion has already overshadowed the Appa-
lachian range ON this side the sea, and it has
overshadowed the Balkan and Caucasian
ranges on 1he o'ner siue 'n I1 sea- GU y. nas
conquered siaiu anu 'ne -. on0eu o's. ": :.
m